Forecasts still unclear where storm will go

Published 4:40 pm, Thursday, October 1, 2015

NEW HAVEN >> With Hurricane Joaquin bearing down on the East Coast, several Connecticut lawmakers gathered Thursday in New Haven to warn businesses against price gouging after a storm and to urge consumers to report gouging if they see it.

Accompanied by New Haven officials in the city’s Emergency Response Center, the lawmakers—all Democrats—touted a tougher anti-gouging law passed in 2013 after complaints of unfair price hikes following both Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged the state in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

“While the majority of businesses and contractors always do the right thing, past experience has shown that price gouging is still an issue and can emerge any time there is an extreme situation,” said state Sen. President Martin Looney, of New Haven.

Looney, D-11, encouraged consumers to report suspected price gouging by calling the state Department of Consumer Protection at 1-800-842-2649.

The state’s price gouging law takes effect once the governor declares a state of emergency.

Once that happens, businesses are barred from increasing prices and the law bars them from selling goods (such as gasoline) or services (such as repair work) for a price that is “unconscionably excessive.”

Businesses that do so face fines of up to $99 per violation per day. Penalties are more severe for energy suppliers.

There are several factors that go into figuring out whether someone is price gouging. Those include disparities between the price of goods or services during an emergency and the average price in the month before the emergency.

State Sen. Dante Bartolomeo, who represents Cheshire, Meriden, Middletown and Middlefield, said lawmakers recognize businesses that make many sales in the aftermath of a storm.

“It is by no means our intent to prohibit their business growth,” said Bartolomeo, D-13. “It is only our intent to say that we need to be reasonable. We cannot have businesses within a short period of time capitalizing on the fact that others of us are in need.”

The warnings against unfair price hikes came as Joaquin strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it moved through the Caribbean.

Rick Fontana, New Haven’s deputy director of emergency management for operations, said the city is monitoring the storm’s progress and will do its best to keep residents informed.

Fontana said people should make simple preparations, such as putting away lawn furniture and gas grills that might be blown around during a storm.

He added that New Haven residents should remain vigilant, paying attention to storm forecasts and updates.

“Your situational awareness to the storm is going to be key to keeping your family safe,” he said.

He said he’s glad the state has a strict price gouging law to protect consumers.

“When there’s a storm coming and you need something to protect your family, it doesn’t matter how much it costs,” he said. “You want it and the last thing you want to know is that you’ve been gouged and taken advantage of.”

City Fire Operations Chief Matthew Marcarelli said the Fire Department is ready for Joaquin.

“We’re prepared to undertake any event that occurs as a result of the storm,” he said.

He said the Department’s preparations include making sure their members are safe and ready to go, making sure that station generators are working and that the city fireboat is ready for any water emergencies.

Marcarelli said people should use common sense after a storm, taking care not to touch live wires or drive through water in the road, the latter of which might require they be rescued by the fire department.

He also said people should take care to keep generators far away from their house to avoid carbon monoxide buildups.

Exactly where Joaquin will go and how hard Connecticut could be hit remained unclear Thursday. Some forecasts showed the storm hitting the Carolinas, other mid-Atlantic states and areas near New Jersey while other models said the storm could blow eastward, out to sea.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has already declared a state of emergency amid flooding there and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said residents should prepare.

“Although its potential impact on Connecticut is still developing as forecasts adjust, we need to be prepared because these types of storms can oftentimes be unpredictable,” Malloy said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Malloy and other emergency officials have recommended people have an emergency kit that consists of the following items:

- One gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation

- At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

Malloy also said people should have an out-of-town contact to call if they get separated from their family while local phone service is out. He also said people should have cell phones, change or prepaid phone cards so they can make calls without a landline. And people should be familiar with text messaging so they can communicate that way, if necessary.